Screen with plastic frame



Jan. 23, H. VAN VOORHEES 2,368,053

SCREEN WITH PLASTIC FRAME Filed Jan. 27, 1945 fizz/ea er" Patented Jan. 23, 1945 SCREEN WITH PLASTIC FRAME Harold E. Van Voorhees, Bronxville, N. 1., as-

signor to Borg-Warner Corporation, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application January 27, 1943, Serial No. 473,693

Claims.

This invention relates to improvement in the supporting and reinforcing means for screens and the like. More specifically, the invention relates to the provision of an improved form of support and an improved reinforcing means for screens such as those disclosed in the patent to Ewing No. 2,194,222, issued March 19, 1940, wherein the wait or filler strands are positioned with their major surfaces at an angle to the plane of the cloth, and wherein said strands usually have a ribbon-like form.

In screens such as those of the class mentioned, it is usually necessary to stretch or tension the screen cloth for proper optical effect, and it is desirable to have the ribbon-like weft members reinforced and secured at their end portions whereby the weft members retain their relative positions. It has likewise been found very desirable to have some holding means for screen cloth of this type whereby the weft elements at the supporting end of the screen are not distorted or torn and the elements of the screen are retained in properly aligned position.

It is an object of this invention to provide improved means for accomplishing the above mentioned purposes.

It is a further object to disclose a supporting frame or molding having an integral means formed in said molding and securing the screen cloth thereto.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide a plastic means for supporting and reinforcing screen cloth, which plastic means has a screen cloth receiving portion which is at least in a temporary plasticized or mastic condition at the time of inserting the cloth, and into which one or more of the edge portions of the screen cloth is embedded.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a reinforced attaching strip for the edge of a metal screen of the class described, which attaching strip is provided with a slot or longitudinal elongated recess in a portion thereof which is formed of a plastic, the provision of a limited amount of plastic softener in the said recess, inserting one or more edge portions of the screen into said recess, and embedding the edge of said screen into the softened portion of the plastic forming the side walls of the recess by pressing the screen into the said side walls of the recess;

The above and other objects, advantages and uses of my invention will become more apparent from a" reading of the following specification and claims, taken in connection with which forms a part of this specification and wherein; a,

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary elevational view illustrating a portion of screen cloth of the type herein referred to, supported by a molding strip in the manner herein disclosed;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view, in cross section, a portion of the view being enlarged to illustrate the screen cloth, and the view being taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to that of Fig. 2 but illustrating the screen cloth being applied to said supporting plastic member, but before the plastic member has been pressed against the screen cloth for embedding the screen cloth in the mastic por-' tion thereof; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary elevational view in the nature of a perspective, in which the screen cloth is shown as being reinforced by a moldingstrip of the class described, on its bottom and side edges.

Referring more in detail to the construction shown in the various figures, there is provided the screen cloth 20, having the warp strand 22 and the weft ribbon-like element 24. It is essential that the weft element be held in proper align ment, and that there be no distortion of either the weft or the warp element.

, Referring particularly to Figs. 1,2 and 3, there is provided a molding member 28, here show: as gook-shaped and supporting the screen 10. In gs. 1 and 2, this molding 28 is shown as held to a window frame or the like 28, by means of what may be termed a bracket 30.

The molding 26 is preferably composed of a plastic such as a resinous condensation plastic,

One such plastic to which the screen cloth has the-drawing been successfully applied is that known to the trade as Tenite No. 2," or cellulose aceto-butyrate.

The molding 26 is preferably bifurcated as shown, particularly in Fig. 3, providing the sides 34 and 36. These sides 34 and 36 form the elongated slot 32 for receiving the wire mesh. The sides 34 and 36 within the slot are softened. Where Tenite No. 2 is iisea, this softening may be done by a limited amount of acetone. This acetone may be brushed into the slot 32 or blown in by a spray means, but only a suflicient amount should be used to soften the side walls and thus provide a mastic a limited distance from the slot,

the total thickness of the mastic on the two sides to be not substantially more than the thickness of the screen cloth, and for best results care should be taken not to use more acetone than a quantity sufficient to soften the structure the amount desired. After the interior side walls of the slot 32 have been softened, the sides 34 and 36 may be pressed together in any convenient manner, and the soft plastic will enter the spaces between the weft elements 24 and will be held in engagement therewith by adhesion with the said elements and by cohesion with the adjoining mastic portion from the opposite side. The softener may then be evaporated or allowed to leave in its normal course, after which the screen will be securely held against distortion, or dislodgment from the slot portion, of the molding member 26. It is thus seen that the weft elements as well as the warp elements of the screen are securely held and that there is no distorting influence thereof by attaching the molding. Further, the weft elements, being angular and of considerable width, hold to the plastic much better than ordinary screen wire would, and make a stronger support for the tensioning action.

In the event the screen is not to be used as a roll screen, the ends of the weft members 24 may be strengthened and supported by embed-. ding them preferably after the screen cloth has been tensioned in a molding of a generally similarly nature. Such an arrangement is shown in Fig. 4, wherein the U-shaped molding 38 is shown as applied to the screen cloth 20. This molding 3B is shown as having the bottom elements of the screen cloth embedded therein as well as the ends of the weft, whereby each weft is held in its natural and undistorted position at its end portions, thus reinforcing the sides of the screen cloth.

While I have described my invention in connection with certain specific embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that I do not desire to be limitedthereby except as indicated by the appended claims, which should be construed as broadly as the prior art will permit.

I claim:

1. The method of providing a reinforced attaching strip as the edge of a metal screen, which includes providing an elongated slotted recess in a strip of plastic material, introducing a masticizing agent into said recess, inserting the edge of a metal screen into said recess, pressing the side walls of said recess in the direction of one another to embed the embraced screen therein.

2. The method of providing a reinforcing and holding strip at the edge of a metal screen which includes providing an elongated slotted recess in a strip formed of a plastic, introducing a limited amount of a solvent into said recess in contact with the side walls thereof, inserting the edges of the metal screen into said recess, moving said side walls of said recess in the direction of one another to embed the embraced screen therein.

3. As an article of manufacture, in combination for a screen cloth and the like having ribbon like weft members, a frame comprising a molding of relatively strong and stiff material, said molding material adapted to be temporarily softened whereby portions of said screen cloth are em- ,bedded therein, and said screen cloth having portions thereof embedded and retained in said molding material.

4. A screen comprising in combination a metal screen cloth, reinforcing edge means comprising a plastic, said plastic being adapted to have a screen cloth embedded therein, said screen cloth being embedded in and held by said plastic.

5. A method of providing a, reinforced screen having a screen cloth of ribbon-like weft members of elongated cross-section, consisting of forming edging means of a plastic such as cellulose aceto-butyrate, forming a slotted portion in said edging, inserting a plastic such as acetone in such slotted portion, whereby said plastic is temporarily softened, placing the edge portion of said screen cloth within said slotted portion while said plastic is so softened, and closing the slotted portion of said edging while in its softened condition on to said screen cloth whereby said screen cloth is embedded and embraced therein.

HAROLD E. VAN VOORHEES. 

